Passing The Torch
by T'Ley
Summary: A "Voyager"/"Enterprise" crossover story, sort of. Somewhere in the state of limbo that characters inhabit between stories, the casts of Voyager and Enterprise come together for a celebration. Features a special guest star that is not from either series.


Rating: PG (just to be safe)

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, except when they are. The settings and locations are not mine, except when they are. The plots, conflicts, and resolutions ARE mine, except when they're not.

Reviews/Feedback: CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always welcome. Any suggestions you may have on how to make my story better will be greatly appreciated.

Somewhere in the state of limbo that characters inhabit between stories…

It was an established tradition. Whenever a new Star Trek series was launched, the cast of characters from the previous series held a welcome to the franchise party. This get-together allowed both casts to become acquainted with one another, in preparation for the inevitable fanfiction crossover stories. Sometimes, characters from other Trek series' would drop by, if they weren't busy working on the latest Star Trek film.

Captain Kathryn Janeway sat at a table in Voyager's mess hall. Also sitting at the table was Captain Jonathan Archer from the latest Trek television show, entitled "Enterprise". The two of them had by now run out of things to talk about, having already exhausted the standard captain meets captain topics such as comparing command styles and bragging about the various capabilities of their respective crews. Their mutual fondness for dogs had also come up. (Naomi Wildman, joined by three of the four Borg children, was currently showering attention on Captain Archer's dog, Porthos.)

Wanting to be a good host, Captain Janeway tried her best to think of something else to say. Luckily, Neelix chose that moment to come around with a tray of hors d'oeuvres. While the joke among the crew was that Neelix's cooking should be avoided at all costs, the majority of them genuinely liked the ship's chef and unofficial morale officer. There was something about Neelix's personality that could either make the most trying circumstances more bearable, or could become extremely annoying. It all depended on who you were and the situation you found yourself in. In this case, Captain Janeway considered Neelix's inquiries on whether or not there was anything else that they needed to be a blessing. It broke the awkward silence that had settled over the table, and it gave her more time to come up with a conversation starter. While Captain Archer exchanged a few words with Neelix, requesting another round of drinks, Captain Janeway studied the crowd that surrounded her, searching for a topic of discussion. Commander Charles Tucker III, known as Trip by his friends, was chatting with both of the Delaney sisters. The impression that Captain Janeway had formed regarding Commander Tucker, based upon her introduction to the man by Captain Archer, strongly reminded her of Tom Paris prior to his marriage to B'Elanna Torres.

Just then, a man who bore a striking resemblance to Captain Archer came through the mess hall doors. The man's expression, and his non-Starfleet attire, gave him the appearance of being both lost and out of place. Captain Janeway wondered aloud who the man was. Captain Archer, whose attention had been focused elsewhere, looked up and almost groaned. He then stood, and waved the man over. "They got you too." Captain Archer commented once the man had reached him. The man shrugged. "You know how it is. An actor becomes associated with a one role. He gets another role, and at least one fanfiction author will want to do a crossover." Captain Archer nodded, and then proceeded to make the introductions. "Captain Kathryn Janeway, Doctor Sam Beckett from 'Quantum Leap'."

Captain Archer did a brief scan of the room. "Where's Al?" he asked. "With Voyager's Doctor, talking shop." Doctor Beckett explained. Captain Archer and Captain Janeway turned to see that the Doctor was indeed in the midst of a very animated conversation. In the 'Quantum Leap' universe, Al appeared as a hologram that was invisible to almost everyone except Doctor Beckett. However, at the end of the story when the characters returned to limbo, Al became visible and could freely interact with others. You would think that he would therefore have been glad when the series ended in 1993, and his journeys outside of limbo became less frequent. Doctor Beckett for one had been enjoying the lighter workload of an occasional fanfic appearance. However for Al, too much inactivity resulted in boredom. There was only so many times he could play cards with Doctor Beckett before he, Al, went crazy.

When the two of them were instructed to appear at the Voyager/Enterprise event, Al was delighted. The combination of free drinks and numerous attractive women to look at, including Seven Of Nine in her formfitting attire, meant that Al was now enjoying himself immensely. Doctor Beckett, on the other hand, looked as if he would rather be somewhere else. Neelix arrived with another round of drinks and Captain Archer handed his glass to Doctor Beckett understandingly. "Here, you need it more than I do."


End file.
